Stuck On You by Christine Wenger Page B

laughter. Kate couldn’t even function until Mack hiked up the hill and proclaimed the cow unscathed.
    "To surrender, or not to surrender, that is the question", she mumbled in her best theatrical voice. She didn’t want to surrender him.
    Mack really left her no choice. It was perfectly clear that he wasn't going to do her program.
    Regretfully, she decided to call Pete Nash. She cut the shower, wrapped a towel around her, and dialed his chambers from her office phone.
    "Judge Nash."
    "Pete, it's Kate Kingston. I need to see you. I'm surrendering Mack, and I need you to sign his surrender forms since Judge Clark isn't around. I can be in your office in about an hour."
    "Whoa, Kate! It's only been a couple of days."
    "It seems like a lifetime."
    "Talk to Mack and read him the riot act."
    "I've done that, Pete. It's just not working. I gave him every chance and he's just not cooperating. He's not going to stay home. You can sign the surrender forms and then issue a warrant for his arrest. He can sit in the Justice Center until he petrifies. I don't care."
    But she did. She cared a lot, but she had to think of her program. She needed to make it a success. But on the other hand, if she surrendered Mack, it would show that her program was tough. And that she was tough.
    But she wasn’t. She was mush where he was concerned. But she had to do what she had to do.
    Judge Nash chuckled. "Too bad. I always thought you would've been great together."
    "As what? Professional wrestlers?" Kate took a deep breath. "This isn’t personal, Pete. It’s about my program, and he’s not taking it serious."
    "I'd like you to give it another try."
    "You've got to be kidding. I–"
    "I promise Mack will stay put. What's he up to anyway? Why does he keep leaving?"
    "I don't know. I can't get a straight answer from him. I'm done with him, Pete."
    "I won't sign his surrender yet. Give him another chance."
    "But–"
    "Just give him another chance, for history's sake."
    "Mack and I never had a history, and–"
    "Well, I had a history with him. We were best friends...once." She heard him sigh. Then he didn't say anything for a long time. "Look, Kate. I'm in the middle of a trial. Just hang in there with Mack, and keep me posted."
    "But–"
    Click.
    Frustrated, Kate pushed her wet hair from her face. Then she jumped as the VV-98's alarm went off—piercing the silence.
    "Damn that man!"
    #
    Sipping coffee, Mack looked out of his kitchen window, and saw how upset Mrs. Tucker was.
    He had to help Mrs. Tucker get Molly down from the tree. That cat was her whole life, along with baking sugar cookies. "My boy, Ronnie, always liked my sugar cookies," she'd say. Unfortunately, they were the worst cookies in the world. No wonder Ronnie became a lifer in the Marines, and was stationed at some frozen tundra many miles away from his mother's sugar cookies.
    Ronnie's absence left Mrs. Tucker lonely, except for Molly.
    Mack debated. If he walked out, the damn VV-98 would notify Kate that he was gone. And by now she would have found out that Pete Nash was in his corner, at least on this one.
    Kate would be furious.
    Mack smiled. He had the knack, be that good or bad, for intimidating people. It came in handy when he was trying to get out of a dangerous situation. His size didn't hurt either. But Kate stood up to him, challenged him both mentally and emotionally. Whatever made him think that she was shy?
    It was the emotional part that he was worried about with Kate. He couldn’t afford to get emotionally attached to her.
    It puzzled Mack that he was torn between facing Kate's rage, or getting Molly, the eternally-roving cat, back to the loving care of Mrs. Tucker. He wouldn't have hesitated before, and he wasn't going to hesitate now.
    Mack drained the last sludge of coffee and hurried out the garage door to his back yard.
    "I'll get Molly for you, Mrs. Tucker," he shouted, jogging over to the big maple tree in her back yard.
    She clapped her hands together. "Bless